Distributed generations (DGs) possess extensive application perspective at the present situation where increasing attention are being focused on energy demand, due to their roles in energy saving, emission reduction and peak load shifting in electric power supply. However, for the existing distributed generations (especially those dispersedly located DGs with low power capacities), there is still a long way to go before they can be exploited sufficiently and properly. It is even less practical to meet the requirements of coordinated operation between huge numbers of DGs and the distribution network. This is mainly due to the limitation in the functionalities of the conventional facilities. The electric power system is in need of smart electrical connection devices which can meet the requirements of the IEEE 1547 and IEC 61850 protocols, especially in the case where low voltage electric connection devices for common residential users are in badly shortage. The term “electrical connection device” herein makes much more sense as the integration of effective monitoring and management of all kinds of electrical connections (including connections between the power sources and loads, connections between power facilities and a microgrid or the distribution network, as well as the connections among various microgrids) than the mere functionality of physical connections. However, power facilities of prior art are unable to guarantee comprehensive and effective monitoring and management of large numbers of DGs for onsite connection. Besides, most existing DGs and loads are not smart enough in their communication and control functionalities, and there is a lack of “information exchange” among them, thereby leading to insufficient utilization of distributed energy.
The diversity of distributed energy leads to the variety of their power generation technologies. Prior art is unable to guarantee “seamless connection” and “plug and play” for the DGs in microgrids and the distribution network. As a result, it is hard to enable global monitoring and control for the grid management system. Consequently, there is a need for developing a smart low voltage electrical connection device which facilitates effective integration and utilization of various DGs and is suitable for residential users, in order to meet the requirements on DG connection and smart power management in the fields of smart grid and smart home.
In an electrical connection device (referred to as electric power router) disclosed in Chinese Patent No.: CN201210261558.6 filed previously by the inventor, there is proposed a solution in which electrical circuit connection and switching are implemented through a switch array for effective utilization of the distributed energy and collaborated operations for the power sources and loads. In this solution, the switches in the switch array increase with the number of power sources and loads, which makes the hardware framework of the electric power router complicated and unsuitable for the “power routing” of large capacity.